Monday, May 28, 2007

Charles Nelson Reilly, who acted and directed on Broadway but came to be best known for his campy television appearances on talk shows and “Match Game,” died on Friday in Los Angeles. He was 76 and lived in Beverly Hills.

The cause was complications of pneumonia, said his partner, Patrick Hughes, who is his only immediate survivor. Mr. Reilly had been ill for more than a year, he said.

Back in the late 70's, Darth Vader and a Jawa made an appearance at, I think, Summit Mall here in Akron. I remember my parents took me and my brother to see them and my dad took these (bad) photos. I don't remember much about it though. I'm sure I was excited to see them.

Friday, May 25, 2007

Some years ago (I think it was around 2000), a local comic book store had a "meet and greet" with Phil Brown, who played Uncle Owen in the original Star Wars movie. I'm glad I got to meet him, he passed away February 9, 2006.

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Here's a picture of my brother, Scott™, unwrapping his birthday present in the late 70's (he got all the cool gifts). Below are more pages from the original catalogs that came with the toys."Help Luke™, Ben™, Chewbacca™ and Han Solo™ rescue Princess Leia™ from Darth Vader™. Manual elevator takes figures to any of the four floors. Top floor has an exploding laser cannon, third floor contains a manually operated light bridge, second floor houses the control area and the first floor features the famous Trash Compactor.--complete with removable garbage and Trash Monster! Over 22" tall. Figures not included. Assembly Required""Exciting play environment simulates DEATH STAR SPACE STATION. Features manual elevator, exploding laser cannon, "Light Bridge" with escape rope and trash compactor with foam garbage. Action Figures not included. Assembly required."

Sunday, May 20, 2007

The commemorative stamps feature images from all six movies in the Star Wars saga: Luke Skywalker; Han Solo and Chewbacca; Princess Leia Organa with R2-D2; C-3PO; Yoda; Queen Padmé Amidala; Obi-Wan Kenobi as seen in Episodes IV through VI; Anakin Skywalker battling Obi-Wan Kenobi; Darth Vader; Emperor Palpatine; Darth Maul; Imperial Stormtroopers; Boba Fett; the Millennium Falcon; and an X-wing fighter. The stamps will be released at a first-day-of-issue ceremony on Friday, May 25, at Star Wars Celebration IV, the biggest Star Wars event in the galaxy, at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Of the 15 images on the Star Wars stamp sheet, the Postal Service is inviting the public to vote on its favorite. The stamp receiving the most votes will be honored with the issuance of a single stamp, which will be for sale later this summer.

The design of the sheet of 15 stamps includes the Star Wars logo and background images of a space battle, including a Star Destroyer, TIE fighters, X-wing fighters, and the second Death Star under construction, as seen in Return of the Jedi. The background also includes the lightsaber-wielding form of Darth Vader, whose helmet comprises the largest of the 15 stamps.

The back of the stamp sheet includes extensive text describing the dramatic roles that each featured character or vehicle plays in the Star Wars saga.

Star Wars stamp artist Drew Struzan's paintings have delighted audiences around the world for a quarter century. Whether he paints album covers, advertising, collectibles, book covers, or his famous movie posters, his strong visual design, draftsmanship, good taste, and immediately recognizable style always produce a memorable and lasting piece of art. Anyone who has seen his work will remember his paintings for E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Star Wars, the Indiana Jones series, the Back to the Future series, Police Academy, the Muppet movies and Hook.

Friday, May 18, 2007

These scans come from my brother Scott. He still has some of the old Star Wars catalogs that came with the toys and some some of the instructions. The Droid Factory came out in 1979 with a Star Wars box and was re-released in 1980 with an Empire Strikes Back box. It came with blueprints to build several different droids including a three-legged R2-D2. Also included was an order form in case any of the many pieces were missing or broken. You can read more about it here.

Thursday, May 17, 2007

This month marks the 30th anniversary of the release of Star Wars. I was 10 years old when it premiered and probably saw it about 10 times during it's original theatrical release. My brother and I had most of the toys, comics, posters and anything else relating to Star Wars. I'm gonna try to make a few Star Wars posts before the month ends. First up is a Star Wars Burger Chef commercial from 1977. There was a Burger Chef restaurant near where we lived and I remember having all of these posters hanging in my bedroom.

Colorist Tom Smith (above) and artist Neil Vokes and writer Bob Tinnell (below). All three are members of The Universal Monster Army. If you are a fan of classic monster movies and all the toys that go with them, I suggest you join this group. Neil and Bob are the creators of several horror comics, such as The Black Forest, which I bought from them and hope to read soon.My 14 year old son, Kenny, and my 6 year old nephew, Seth, swimming in the hotel pool.

Friday, May 04, 2007

Besides being Free Comic Book Day, tomorrow, May 5, is also National Scrapbooking Day. You can combine the two "holidays" by making a Marvel Comics scrapbook courtesy of EK Success. Coming this month is a full line of dimensional stickers, albums and double-sided paper featuring Spider-Man, Wolverine, The Incredible Hulk, Daredevil, Captain America and The Fantastic Four.